ABOUT
DESIGNER ● RESEARCHER ● COLLABORATOR
Having studied UX design at a STEM school, I've always found myself interacting with all sorts of people. I work with fellow creatives often - in college design studios, in the local chapter of Design For America, in the collegiate theater in which I am the Executive Producer. But, I also work with technical minded people - in my computer science courses, in my hydroponic farm volunteering, and all around me in my primarily engineering school.
This experience has equipped me to work with and manage a wide variety of people, not only respecting their background and expertise but embracing it. When producing a musical, for instance, I know that the electrical engineering student who is in charge of lights needs a 3D model of the set, and I know that they need these resources to be very precise in order to produce a safe and well-lit show. I also know that the design student who is directing needs to think about creative aspects of the show more generally, thinking of colors and emotions rather than measurements and details. When these two types of people don't speak the same "language", I step in to "translate" - to make sure that the team works together cohesively and effectively.
The combination of technical and creative is what I bring to the table when I engage in UX design or UX research. I do all of my UX work while keeping in mind who I am working with and who I am designing for. If I find in my research that multiple stakeholders have different needs or different understandings of the problem space, I will be there to translate. It is a skill that I have found invaluable in every project I have worked on. That is what I bring to the table - an understanding of how to combine the technical with the creative.
ABOUT ME
VALUES
A personal value of mine that I strive to implement not only in my work, but in my lifestyle is sustainability. In addition to my dual major of Design and Business, I also pursued a minor in Sustainability. I have a vested interest in local sustainability causes, with a focus on regenerative agriculture. One of my favorite hobbies was volunteering at a hydroponic farm on campus, where I assisted in developing a planting schedule, harvested and recorded mature batches, maintained successful growing conditions including cleanliness, temperature, pH, etc. I also helped publicize the farm to potential volunteers, investors, and advocates by speaking to different classes, clubs, and community groups
Aside from my work at the hydroponic farm, I also enjoyed spending my time helping maintain a local community garden, and also helped the campus Food Recovery Network chapter deliver excess food from campus to local soup kitchens.
THEATER
One of my greatest passions is theater design, tech, and management. I have worked in many different theater venues, from small-scale community settings to professional, Off-Broadway theater. My roles have varied greatly, from using powertools and blueprints to build sets from the ground up as a carpenter, to managing multi-thousand dollar budgets and scheduling the implementation of large-scale productions as production manager.
I have been able to apply the skills that I learn in theater to every aspect of my life. I have learned valuable lessons in management through my experience as stage manager and production manager of a variety of shows, and I have learned about woodworking and aesthetics through my experience as carpenter and property designer.
Created by me
VOLUNTEERING
I am a proud recipient of the Girl Scout Gold Award. To have received this award is a huge honor, and was a significant effort. In order to earn this award, I started a program with my local library called Tech Connect. In this program, I connected volunteers from my high school with elderly community members. At regularly held workshops, elderly community members with questions about technology would talk to high school volunteers. For this program, I created a logo and marketing materials, spoke to various groups across my town, wrote articles for the newspaper, organized volunteer scheduling, and coordinated with the library.
Through this program, not only did an often overlooked demographic gain a knowledge of technology, but two generations were able to connect on a personal level; many of the younger volunteers from the program would engage in meaningful conversation with the elderly community members.
The program continues to run at the library to this day under a new name.
